Jim Cornette thought 1998 faction would be WWE's nWo, Vince Russo says (Exclusive)
Jim Cornette was a WWE on-screen personality and creative team member in the mid-to-late 1990s. Vince Russo, WWE's former head writer, recently recalled how a stable was created to play a joke on Cornette.
Between December 1997 and August 1998, Cornette was the leader of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) faction. Several wrestlers represented the group during that time, including Barry Windham, Bart Gunn, Bob Holly, and Jeff Jarrett.
On Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo, Russo told host Dr. Chris Featherstone that the old-school stable idea was a "rib" on Cornette. He also claimed the faction members did not mind the storyline as long as they got paid:
"Bro, I don't think they really cared," Russo said. "They had a spot. They were getting paid. Back then, it was really all about getting paid. I think that's really all they cared about." [8:17 – 8:27]
According to Russo, Cornette thought the NWA group could be a WWE version of WCW's popular nWo stable:
"He thought it was gonna go over huge. Oh my God, he thought this was gonna be the nWo. Oh yeah [Cornette legitimately felt that way], oh yeah, yeah. I said, 'All right, roll the dice, let's see what you got.'" [8:42 – 8:58]
Watch the video above to hear more from Dr. Chris Featherstone and Vince Russo on WWE's Saturday Night's Main Event plans.
Vince Russo on Jim Cornette's wrestling mindset
In 1998, Vince Russo co-wrote WWE television shows alongside Jim Cornette and Vince McMahon. He later became head writer alongside Ed Ferrara before both men joined WCW in October 1999.
Russo has had a strained relationship with Cornette for many years. The one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion added that the legendary manager wanted to bring back old-school wrestling during the Attitude Era:
"Just everything was gonna turn back to old school," Russo said, reflecting on Cornette's NWA vision. "He would probably do the same thing today, bro. Literally. If he got hired by a wrestling company today, he would probably try the same thing." [9:06 – 9:17]
The short-lived NWA group also included Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, and MMA star-turned-wrestler Dan Severn.
Do you think Jim Cornette's NWA should have been given longer to succeed? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing With Russo and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.